Manchester United Transfer Talk: 4 Players Red Devils Must Pursue

With transfers underway and Manchester United already picking up players Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell, speculation suggests that Sir Alex Ferguson has at least one more player targeted.

Having said that, there are several players that the Red Devils must pursue.

Will they be able to acquire more than one of these players? Probably not. However, if Manchester United manages to pick up at least one of these transfers, the Red Devils will see a major improvement.

With Manchester United having a trophy-less year in 2011-12, it’s time to start looking at the areas where they need to make major improvements. Shinji Kagawa and Nick Powell were two solid pickups, but if the Red Devils hope to get back to being a dominant team, they may need to do more.

That is, specifically in the midfield and backfield.

Players like Patrice Evra are no longer living up to the hype, and it's time for Manchester United to shift things around so that they can return to their dominant status.

While we could argue that offense seems to be the area of least concern for Manchester United, adding Van Persie and having him pair up with Wayne Rooney would be of so much benefit to the Red Devils.

Robin van Persie was one of the best players in England last year, and is easily one of the top strikers in the world. Now that he is clearly ready to move on, Sir Alex needs to watch the situation closely and be ready to jump when the bidding for RVP begins.

Javi Martinez

Along with Joao Moutinho, Manchester United may want to consider fellow midfielder Javi Martinez.

While Joao Moutinho is more of an attacking midfielder, Martinez would be more of a defensive midfielder. If need be, he could also be deployed as a defender.

At only 23 years of age, Martinez has plenty of years to grow. Speculation suggests Manchester United have been keeping an eye on the stellar midfielder for some time, and with good reason.

While he may have distanced himself from a move to Barcelona, as noted by Antena 3 (h/t goal.com) and said he would like to stay with Athletic Bilbao, the Red Devils should not give up on this great midfielder.

Athletic Bilbao's asking price for Martinez is pretty steep at £32 million, according to ESPN Star, but if the club wants to improve their midfield, grabbing either Moutinho or Martinez would be the way to go.

Martinez was a starter for Bilbao throughout the 2011-12 La Liga season. He is physical, young and versatile with the ability to play in midfield and defense. He is not afraid of taking his fair share of shots on goal, either.

Martinez would be a great addition to the Red Devils.

Bilbao's asking price might be steep. However, if Manchester United were able to convince Martinez to play for them, he would bring much needed improvement to a soft midfield.